Emotional Tangle
by CJ Moliere
Summary: Lord Maurice of Avonlea wants his daughter to learn the womanly arts instead of keeping her nose stuck in books and hires a local spinner and weaver named Rumplestiltskin as her teacher. Lady Belle's heart goes out to the kindly spinner and his young son who both want to receive a more advanced education than they received in school. Neither of them expected to fall in love.
1. Chapter 1

Lord Maurice De Gaulle of Avonlea was at his wit's end with his youngest child and her desire to defy convention. Unlike the rest of the women of her class, Belle was not content to just marry, bear children and obey her husband's every command. She'd refused every marriage proposal offered to her, even from the most sought after men in the seven kingdoms. She was never going to give him a grandchild that way. He already had two by Gaston, his son and heir and Gaston's bride was now expecting their third. When he reminded his child of this, her response was always the same.

"I will choose my own husband, Papa and it will be for no other reason than I love him. Even if he is not one of us."

Maurice was scandalized. "You…you mean you would even marry one beneath you? Belle, it is simply not done. I will not have it. You marry one of your own kind."

"The men of our so called class are boorish and brainless. I cannot even have a decent conversation with them!" she cried.

He sighed. She was every inch her mother's daughter. His own marriage to Gabrielle Villard De Gaulle was arranged in the cradle and he learned while courting her that she also was not content to just bear children and obey her husband's every commands. She insisted on an education equal to that of a man and though it raised eyebrows among Avonlea's nobles, Maurice adored his wife enough to give in to her demands.

Belle's favorite thing to do was go into the village and read to the children. She always carried a small purse with her and handed some coins to each parent when they came to collect their children. Her father always did treat them well, but she felt he was not doing enough. There were still so many who were poor and uneducated. She felt perhaps if they did have a proper education they could better support their families. Her brother was quick to disagree, especially when the subject of educating a woman came up.

"It's not right for a woman to read. Maman always had her nose stuck in a book, thinking…she was too distracted and didn't pay enough attention to the two of us."

She didn't pay enough attention to you, Belle thought bitterly. Gaston thrived on being the center of attention while she preferred to stay in the background. "A woman should devote her time to the womanly arts, spinning, weaving, cooking, cleaning and taking care of their husbands and children," he argued. It was what his own wife did and Belle knew she wasn't as content with it as she appeared to be.

Belle was in the village doing some shopping with her ladies-in-waiting, all of them needing material for new dresses for the upcoming ball being held at Avonlea castle in honor of King Leopold and Queen Regina's visit. She stopped at a table being watched by a young boy. He had many items to sell including spun wool and some shawls.

"Did you make these?" she asked him.

"No, that was my father. He's the best spinner and weaver in the whole village," the boy boasted. He heard laughter from the people minding the other tables.

"Your father's the village coward! Hobbled himself to get outta fightin the ogres!" one of the them taunted. "A disgrace is what he is."

"You wanna come over here and say that?" the boy challenged, shaking his fist at the man. "C'mon! I dare you to. I'll knock your teeth down your throat!"

"'Least you got more backbone than your old man."

"You little…!" the boy came out from behind his table ready to carry out his threat when arms grabbed him and pulled him back.

"Bae, what are you doing!" his father cried.

"He was making fun of you, Papa! Lemme at 'im! I'll knock his teeth down his throat. Go ahead and say something else you fat bastard!"

"Bae!" the boy's father said sharply. "You want me to wash your mouth out with soap?"

"Yeah, go ahead Hobblefoot, make your boy into as big of a coward as you are!"

Belle glared at the man at the opposite table. "Why don't you shut up and leave them alone?" she yelled.

"You mind your business!'' the man snarled and raised his hand to slap her. It was caught in the air by the man he called Hobblefoot.

"Only a true coward would dare to raise a hand to a lady!" he shouted and pushed the other man back. "You have the manners of a pig!"

"You watch yourself, Hobblefoot!" he threatened and returned to his table.

"Ah, go drown in the lake!" the boy called Bae retorted.

"Bae!" The boy's father gave him a chastising look. Though the man deserved it, he didn't want his son saying something so harsh.

"Sorry, Papa," the boy said sheepishly.

"I'm sorry about that madam," the spinner said softly, limping over to her, his hand clutching a walking stick tightly.

"It's all right. There was no harm done. My name is Belle. I know your son's name is Bae but I refuse to call you Hobblefoot. What is your real name?"

The spinner smiled. "Bae's short for Baelfire and I am Rumplestiltskin. I know…it's a mouthful but most people call me Rumple…or Rum."

She glanced down at the shawls at his table. "Your son claims you are the best spinner and weaver in the village. I can see for myself he does not lie. I will take all of these as well as the wool."

"A….All of it? But, my lady…!" he protested.

"No buts. I will take it." She opened her purse and handed him all of the coins in it. He was astounded as he counted them. There was enough money in his hand to keep him and Bae fed and clothed for two months. No one had ever paid him so much for his wares or bought as many of them in one day before. Though he was a talented spinner and weaver, his actions during the Ogre Wars made him a pariah among his peers and there were quite a few days when he couldn't make a sale.

"My lady….I cannot…it is too much." He handed some of the coins back to her. She took his hand and dropped them into his palm, keeping them there by closing her hand around it.

"I insist."

She admired him, this spinner whom everyone called a coward yet showed no fear when the other man attempted to strike her and giving him quite a scolding on how to treat a lady. It was a pity some of the men of her own social class couldn't take a lesson or two from him, her own brother included.

Their eyes met. He was used to people looking at him with disgust or pity….not admiration and this was what he was seeing in those beautiful blue eyes. What was there to admire about him? He was lame….friendless and poor. She was a lady of the noble class, too good to associate with the likes of him. He could feel the eyes of the people in the marketplace on him and quickly released her hand.

"T…Thank you my lady. You are very kind."

"You're quite welcome, Rumplestiltskin. Good day to you."

"Good day to you, my lady."

She smiled at him one last time and started walking away.

"Bye Lady Belle!" Bae called after her retreating form.

Once she was out of sight Rumple turned to his son with a frown on his face. "Bae, what have I told you about getting into fights?"

"But I didn't…"

"You would have if I hadn't come along. Son, next time ,walk away. I don't want you getting hurt. You're all I have…"

"I'm sorry, Papa."

"Let's go home." They started packing up their things and were walking down the road toward their cottage when several horsemen stopped them. Rumple took a deep breath. What did they want with him?

"Are you the spinner Rumplestiltskin?" one of them demanded.

"I am….what do you want?" he asked fearfully, pulling his son behind him protectively.

"We come on his lordship's business. Your presence is requested at Avonlea castle."

"Leave us alone!" Bae yelled, ready to change. Rumple shook his head, motioning for him to stay back.

"Sir, what about my boy? I can't leave him alone. I'm all he has…"

"Bring him then, but hurry it up! His lordship does not like being kept waiting!" the other rider snapped. They turned their horses and galloped down the road with the spinner trying his best to keep up. Bae was furious. If they wanted his father to go to the castle with them, they could've at least put him on a horse! They had to stop several times along the way. Though Rumple could walk long distances with the assistance of his stick, he usually had to stop to take a rest or two. The horsemen brought their own horses to a stop, grumbling about the delays.

"Well if you'd put him on the back of a horse we wouldn't have to stop!" Bae raged. "You try walking with a bad leg and see how far YOU get without stopping!"

"Bae," Rumple scolded gently.

"Fine! Let's put them on the damned horses or we'll never get there by nightfall!" one of the riders grumbled. They rode back to the castle with Rumple on one horse and his son on the other and were taken to the receiving hall where Lord Maurice de Gaulle sat in his chair. The spinner and his son bowed.

"I understand you came to my daughter's defense when a man attempted to strike her today," Maurice said. "Not something I'd expect from a man labeled the village coward."

"My lord….I have been a coward…but I don't think anyone has the right to strike a lady," Rumple explained.

"I am grateful, spinner, and as a token of my gratitude, I have a proposition for you."

"A proposition, my lord?"

"My daughter is in need of lessons in the womanly arts…spinning and weaving and despite your actions in the Ogre Wars; you are still known as the best at both. That is why I want you to teach her your skills."

"M…Me?"

"Yes, Rumplestiltskin. You. In return you and your son will have lodgings here in the palace and you will be well compensated for your time. Do you accept my offer?"

The spinner thought for a moment. Though he wouldn't be comfortable living among the nobles, if Lord Maurice followed through on his promise to pay him well for his tutelage, he would be able to give Bae the life of comfort he deserved. His son's well-being was all that mattered to him.

"Yes. I accept."

"Excellent. Lumiere! Show Rumplestiltskin and his son to their rooms!" Maurice commanded. The servant bowed.

"Follow me," he instructed the father and son.

The room they would reside in was almost the size of their shack. They each had their own bed to sleep in instead of floor pallets. As they looked around, they didn't see the elderly woman enter the room until she tapped Rumple on the shoulder and startled him. In her hands she held a pile of clothing.

"His Lordship would like you to join him, Lord Gaston and the Lady Belle at dinner this evening. You must change…and wash."

"Dinner?"

"Yes…quickly now. His lordship does not like to be kept waiting!" She thrust the clothing at him and left the room.

"Papa…we've never been to dinner with nobles…what if we do something wrong?" Bae asked nervously.

Rumple ruffled his hair affectionately. "I'm sure we have proper enough table manners that we won't offend them. Go on and change, lad." He gestured to one of the changing screens in the corner of the room while he took his own clothing and stepped behind the other. He washed himself with the small basin that had been placed behind the screen and removed his worn clothing. He was as nervous as his son but he would do his best to be brave. It was for Bae, after all. Washed and fully dressed, they stepped out from behind their changing screens, unable to recognize each other in their fine tunics and breeches. In a matter of hours the spinner and his son looked like a noble and his heir but they would never be that, not in a million years. Nor did they want to. Their life was hard but they were happy. Rumple grabbed his walking stick and stepped out into the hall where the servant Lumiere waited to escort them to the dining room.


	2. Chapter 2

Rumple felt like a fish out of water in the grand castle, struggling to return to the comfort of the sea. He longed to be back in his small shack. He didn't have much in the way of material possessions but that didn't matter to him. His greatest treasure was his boy and if anyone wanted to take Bae away, they'd have to kill him first. He was no coward when it came to protecting his child. Even the other villagers were forced to admit that it took a great deal of strength and patience to be a father and a mother to a child.

"Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire Gold," Lumiere announced to the other diners. He only knew Maurice and Belle, the other young man, woman and two teenage children were strangers…and they were none too pleased to see him and Bae.

"We're glad you could join us. Won't you sit down?" Maurice offered, gesturing to two empty chairs beside Belle. The nervous spinner took the seat to Belle's left and his son took the right.

"Gaston, Minette, this is Rumplestiltskin Gold and his son, Baelfire. I've asked Rumplestiltskin, who is known in the village for his spinning and weaving skills to teach them to Belle."

"It's high time she stopped walking around with her nose stuck in books," said Minette.

"Yeah," piped up her daughter Marie-Louise. "It's not ladylike."

Rumple frowned. It wasn't ladylike for a woman to be educated? Most of the women in his village would have sold their souls to be properly educated and this child treated it as if it were an annoyance? These nobles were a strange lot he decided.

"Don't see why you want him teaching her. He's a coward," muttered the boy whose name was Claude.

"Claude!" Maurice snapped. "Forgive my grandson, Rumplestiltskin. He's forgotten his manners. Apologize…immediately!"

"It's the…"

"NOW!" Maurice pounded his fist on the table.

"Sorry," the boy mumbled. Bae glared at him. Rumple sighed deeply. No matter where he went, his actions in the Ogre Wars hovered over him like a storm cloud. He wished that someone would understand he did what he did for his son, so that the boy would not grow up without a father as many others did.

Belle glanced over at the opposite end of the table to see her brother swatting at something in the air.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to get rid of the fleas we suddenly find this castle infested with!" he explained, his gaze focused on Rumple and Bae.

"We don't have fleas!" Bae protested.

"Gaston!" Maurice snapped. "I expected better from you!"

"Well, we didn't!" he argued.

"Ugh...peasants...they all carry them because they don't know how to bathe properly," his wife Minette added.

"My lord, I think maybe it would be best if we were going now..." Rumple said and pushed his chair back. He wasn't going to sit there another minute and listen to them being insulted further.

"You stay right where you are!" Belle barked.

"We're probably a lot cleaner than YOU are!" Bae shouted. "My papa keeps our house so clean you can eat off the floor!"

"Bae, you don't need to explain anything to us. My brother is just being an inconsiderate bastard like he always is!"

"I don't want to cause any trouble..." Rumple began and stood up. He was trying to keep a tight rein on his own temper. "My son and I will leave immediately."

"Sit down!" Maurice commanded. "And I want the lot of you out of this dining room now!" he yelled at his son, his daughter-in-law and grandchildren.

"Papa…" Gaston began.

"Out!"

The group left the dining room, glaring at the spinner and his boy, all of them determined to run them out of the castle if it was the last thing they did. A man with Rumplestiltskin's reputation did not belong amongst the gentry.

"My lord, I don't want to cause any problems in your family," Rumple said once they were gone.

"You aren't. My son does not rule this household yet. You will teach my daughter to spin and weave and live in this house as our guest. And if my son causes you any further trouble, I want to be told immediately."

"Yes, my lord."

"Good. I have taken the liberty of having your spinning wheel brought to you, assuming you would not be comfortable using a new one."

Rumple smiled. "You've assumed correctly, my lord. A spinner's wheel is an extension of them and getting accustomed to a new one can sometimes be frustrating."

"You will find it in your chambers. Now, rest and you can start your lessons in the morning. And I am surprised, spinner. You speak very eloquently for someone who has not had a proper education."

"The two spinsters who raised me did their best to educate me with what little they had and though few in my village were educated, I was able to learn much from them and the books in their possession. I would like Bae to have more opportunities than I did."

"I will be happy to help with that. Go on, rest and start fresh in the morning. And if my son and his family cause you any more trouble you are to come to me directly? Understood?"

"Yes, my lord," the spinner replied and took his leave. Bae was already changed into his nightshirt and in bed when his father entered the room. He ruffled his son's hair affectionately and gave him a hug.

"I don't know if I can sleep in this bed, Papa," he said. Bae always did have a difficult time sleeping if he stayed somewhere other than their own house. It was even more difficult when he was a small child because his father always told him stories to help him sleep as the spinsters did when he was a child. If the two of them were travelling together, Rumple would share the bed with his son and he drifted off easier.

"Okay…make some room lad…and no kicking, please."

Bae also had a habit of stretching out while he slept and if his father happened to share the bed he often woke up sore from being kicked one too many times or still sleepy himself. It didn't matter….he would give up all his comforts to make sure Bae had a restful night. Rumple changed into his own nightshirt and crawled into bed beside his son. It didn't take long for them to fall asleep.

In her own suite, Belle found herself thinking about the spinner and his son. Everyone called Rumplestiltskin a coward yet the man was willing to put himself in harm's way to protect a woman…how was that being a coward? In her eyes, it made him more courageous than any man she knew, especially her arrogant brother. Gaston considered himself the perfect man yet he was constantly violating his marriage vows with girls in the local village who spawned children he would never legitimize and she suspected he struck his wife on occasion though she never saw bruises on Minette. Also there was no love between them. Their marriage was a political and dynastic alliance, nothing more.

Though the spinner and his son were not wealthy, they were happy and she would make them even more so by giving them the proper education they longed for. She would make him the most intelligent man in his village and no one would ever call him a coward again.

"He's a fine one, that spinner," said her maid Angelique when she came in the room to help the girl change for bed. "Not too handsome that he thinks himself above other men and as your father said, he sounds like he has a bit of sense even if he didn't have proper schooling. And his son….ahhh how I loved seeing him best that brother of yours!"

"Were you and Lumiere spying again?" Belle teased.

"It was difficult not to when your brother was being called out for his ignorance," Angelique answered. "Off to bed with you. Your spinner will not be pleased if you are too exhausted to pay attention to his lessons."

"No he wouldn't," Belle admitted and crawled into bed.

In Maurice's suite, Lumiere sat by his side while the lord coughed into a basin, the water stained red with blood. He and the other servants were forbidden to mention his illness to his children. His physician was also forbidden to speak of it but he knew Lord Maurice's condition grew worse by the day and soon it would be impossible for him to keep his secret.

Maurice was not ready to die, at least not until he made certain that Belle would be taken care of once he was gone. He didn't trust his heir to look after her. Though he would have preferred her to make a match among the nobility, his daughter was firm in her decision that she would wed for love alone or not at all. Now that she would be taking lessons from the best spinner and weaver in the realm, she would have means to support herself if her brother attempted to cheat her out of her inheritance.

Lumiere helped his weakened master into bed.

"My lord I beg of you, you must tell your daughter at least what is happening!"

"Not yet old friend. Not yet. And you will not tell her. Do you understand me?"

Lumiere sighed. "I have kept my word thus far, have I not?"

"Yes, you have and I thank you for that." Maurice closed his eyes. Moments later he was asleep. Lumiere removed the basin from his chambers and disposed of the water before anyone got a chance to see it. The blood stained cloths he burned in the fireplace. His own mother had died of consumption and he knew the end was near for Maurice De Gaulle. He and everyone else in the castle dreaded the day when his son inherited. That boy was not half the man his father was and he would oust all of them, including his sister without a second thought.


End file.
